Real Living Wage increases
Over 460,000 people working for 14,000 real Living Wage Employers throughout the country are set to see an increase in their pay, as the Living Wage Foundation’s real Living Wage rates rise to £12 an hour across the UK (£1.10 increase), and £13.15 an hour in London (£1.20 increase).
The real Living Wage, set by the Living Wage Foundation, remains the only wage rates independently calculated based on what people need to live on. This year the rate increased by 10% in the UK, reflecting persistently high costs for low paid workers.
Recent research by the Living Wage Foundation shows that despite inflation easing, the cost-of-living crisis is far from over for Britain’s 3.5m low paid workers. Recent polling of those earning below the real Living Wage found that 60% have visited a food bank in the past year and 39% regularly skipping meals for financial reasons.
In the past two years record numbers of employers have signed up to pay the real Living Wage, including to their third party contractors like cleaners and security guards, with 1 in 9 employees now working for an accredited Living Wage Employer.
There are now 14,000 Living Wage Employers who are choosing to pay the real Living Wage to provide workers and families with greater security and stability, and more than 100 Living Hours employers, going beyond payment of the real Living Wage to also provide a guaranteed minimum of 16 hours work a week, a month’s notice of shift patterns and a contract that reflects hours worked.
Katherine Chapman, Living Wage Foundation Director, said: “As inflation eases, we cannot forget that low paid workers remain at the sharp end of the cost of living crisis. Low paid workers continue to struggle with stubbornly high prices because they spend a larger share of their budget on food and energy. These new real Living Wage rates are a lifeline for the 460,000 workers who will get a pay rise .
"During these tough economic times, it is heartening that record numbers of employers are signing up to join the Living Wage movement, protecting everyone who works for them – including cleaners -from rising prices and seeing the benefits of a more motivated and engaged workforce. The real Living Wage has never been more important and we encourage those who can to join the 14,000 Living Wage employers across the UK who are committed to always pay a wage that covers the cost of living.”
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